On Tap at Tales

Will you be in New Orleans for Tales next week? ... Of course you will! The USBG will be there in full force this year, so come support your fellow cocktailians at their events.

USBG Milagro Tequila Margarita CompetitionFriday, July 23, 7:30 – 10 p.m.Board of Trade$45 (advance), $50 (door) Tequila may come from south of the border, but people from all over the world put it to good use. Join us for the United States Bartenders Guild’s Milagro Tequila Competition as 28 bartenders from 15 different cities put their best Margaritas up against one another. You'll be able to sample the festive spirits as the bartenders compete not just for personal fame but the right to bring the title back to their hometown.Austin, Texas: Marcelo Nascimento of Lucky 13 Cocktail CateringChicago: Daniel M de Oliveira of Mercadito, Double A and Crimson LoungeDallas: Michael Martensen of Cedars SocialDenver: Bryan Dayton of Frasca Food and WineHonolulu: Kyle Reutner of Thirty-Nine HotelLas Vegas: Patricia Richardson of the Wynn, Las Vegas & EncoreLos Angeles: Rhachel Shaw of Malo CantinaMiami: Gabriel Orta of the Florida RoomMilwaukee: Mathias Simonis of the Velvet Hour and Soho 7New Orleans: Eric Molina of the Carousel Bar at the Hotel MonteleoneNew York City: Abigail Gullo of Bar Celona LoungePhiladelphia: Phoebe Esmon of Chick’s Café and Wine BarPhoenix: Cassandra La Pietra of Roka AkorSan Francisco: Alex Smith of Smuggler’s CoveSt. Louis: M. Matt Obermark, Jr. of the Atomic Cowboy

The USBG Master Accreditation Program Testing SessionUSBG Spirits Professional ExamTuesday, July 20, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.Bellegrove Suite, The Royal Sonesta HotelSuccessfully passing this test will qualify the candidate as a USBG Spirits Professional, ensuring employers and colleagues that they are knowledgeable and well versed in all spirit categories from every corner of the world including sake, beer, wine, service, history of cocktails, mixology and more.Test Fee: The Level 1 test is FREE the first time for USBG members only; any subsequent tests for USBG members are $50 and $175 for non-members. Click here to join the USBG now! www.usbg.org/MembershipCenter#JoinPlease RSVP to usbg_events@hotmail.com to reserve your seat!

The USBG Advanced Bartender Exam is SOLD OUT.

Here are some interesting seminars moderated by our USBG members that still have seats left!

So You Want to Be A Consultant: What it Really TakesThursday, July 22, 3:30 - 5 p.m. The Riverview Room, Hotel Monteleone$40 (advance), $45 (door) The goal of this fast-paced and entertaining session will be to demystify and define what it really takes to be a beverage consultant. It also will set benchmarks for knowledge, standards, service and professionalism in order to ensure that consulting remains a respected and valuable profession within the beverage industry for many years to come.Sponsored by: Appleton Estate Reserve, Averna Moderators: Willy Shine, Tad Carducci, USBG Member Panelists: Tobin Ellis, Jacques Bezuidenhout, USBG Member